Max Hatfield – Teacher

MAY 20, 2013

Max Hatfield was a second-year teacher in Jacksonville when he decided to return to school himself. He chose the master’s program in education at UALR to continue his professional development, primarily because it fit his busy schedule.

“I was in my second year of teaching when I started my program,” he said. “I looked into other programs, but the staff at UALR helped me in every aspect of getting started and finishing my degree.”

One professor in particular, Dr. Jennifer Hune, was instrumental in helping Hatfield gain the experience he needed.

“She was always available to answer our questions or take extra time to make sure we were grasping the lesson,” Hatfield said. “I was able to relate my classroom experience to real-world situations while teaching in my own classroom.”

Observing other teachers in a classroom setting served as inspirations for Hatfield, leading him incorporate new ideas in his own classroom.

Those experiences, he says, even prepared him to reach his students beyond the classroom and on the football field, where he coaches the Freshman Academy football team at Jacksonville.

There, Hatfield is a special education teacher in the Freshman Academy, instructing students in inclusion English, inclusion algebra, and resource algebra.

And his education hasn’t stopped since graduation.

“I still communicate with Dr. Hune if I need input on special situations,” he said.

Q&A with Ken

What was your favorite class? Managing the Learning Environment was my favorite class. This was not my favorite class when I took the class, but now that I am teaching it has been very beneficial in the classroom.

What is your favorite memory of your time here? My favorite memories are the friendships that I made.

How do you show your Trojan spirit? I sport my UALR Trojan shirt.

If you could spend one day anywhere, where would it be and why? I would spend the day with my wife Connie at a golf course in Hawaii and then hit the beach. We have always wanted to visit the islands and we love to play golf. What a day!

If you could talk to anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why? I would talk with my dad who passed away in 2007. It would be nice to visit and tell him how much I miss him and how much he still helps me by the things he taught me. I would introduce him to his great granddaughter Reagan.

What is your hands-down favorite meal? It is very hard to pick just one, but if I have to it would be home-made pizza.